If you want to understand Life Coaching, take the mental images you have

of mentoring, counseling and consulting and put them aside.

Life Coaching is completing different!

What is a Certified Professional Life Coach?

A Certified Professional Life Coach is a trusted mentor who can help you identify your strengths, values, passions, and purpose. It is a one-on-one relationship or group setting that provides a supportive and non-judgmental space to help you create what you want for yourself. You can find a Life Coach to help you strategize and acquire the tools you need to achieve your goals. The process consists of steps to help you identify and reframe your thoughts and attitudes. It can also help you break negative habits, acquire new methods of identification and take action to achieve your maximum potential.

How will life coaching help? The results will vary depending on what brings you to a Life Coach. If you hire a Life Coach to help you professionally, it can help you make your current job more gratifying, gain better focus on managing your work, and market yourself more effectively. If your reasons are personal, your life coach will help you discover your passion, identify your vision and define your values. A life coach can also help you enrich your relationships and improve your overall health and well-being to live a more balanced life. You may even grow spiritually.

What happens in a life coaching session? Each session is tailored to the client and will vary based on individual needs. In the beginning, we will identify and discuss your current situation and your dreams and vision. We will then create a plan to achieve your declared goals. Periodically, I will give you assignments to further your progress. We will work together to brainstorm, acknowledge possible obstacles, explore alternate perspectives and celebrate successes. With the conclusion of each session, we will revisit your goals and evaluate the next steps that are needed to achieve these results.

Do I really need a personal coach, can't I just do it by myself? Life Coaching can take you above and beyond your own personal limitations. More often than not, people try to achieve their greatest potential but don’t even realize what stands in their way. A Life Coach can offer an unbiased and objective perspective and can help you realize your patterns and habits. Most people realize that they are more efficient when working with a Certified Professional Life Coach. The process provides accountability and the opportunity for one to better realize their defined potential. Life coaching can make your dreams attainable and will give you support and encouragement along your journey.

How is coaching different from therapy?

While the life coaching I provide can be therapeutic, it is not therapy. Coaching is distinct from traditional therapy because it is not designed to address psychological issues. While emotional issues may arise, the primary focus of life coaching is to help you move forward by identifying your goals, achieving them and developing constructive habits and skills. There is little emphasis placed on the past with coaching, but instead, the focus is on creating what you want now and in the future. My goal is to help you get from where you are now to where you desire to be, faster than going alone.

How long do people generally work with a Life Coach? Some people hire a coach to reach short-term goals, while others want to go deeper and gain a new perspective on life. To experience the full effectiveness of a life coaching program, I suggest clients make a six-week to twelve-week commitment, with sessions once every week. It all depends on you and we can discuss options during our initial complimentary consultation.

Is personal life coaching confidential? What we discuss will be held in complete confidence. However, our discussions are not privileged for legal purposes. The privilege of confidentiality that exists for the clergy, therapists, and attorneys is not granted to coaching professionals. That said, life coaching is a confidential process, and your personal information will always be protected. As an ICF Professional,

a clear understanding with both Clients and Sponsors or interested parties about the conditions under which information will not be kept confidential (e.g., illegal activity, if required by law, pursuant to valid court order or subpoena; imminent or
likely risk of danger to self or to others; etc.). Where I reasonably believe one of the above circumstances is applicable, I may need to inform appropriate authorities.